In A New Light
by dadadee
Summary: More than 10 years have passed since the day Edward left Bella in the woods. After many life-changing experiences, will she still be able to open her heart once again? This is her story and her transformation.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All the characters in this story are based on Stephanie Meyer's phenomenal book, Twilight. I own none of these characters and am merely stretching my imagination based on the wonderful and unforgettable characters she's created.**

Beep...buzzzz...beep. The small black pager buzzed and beeped across the night stand as Bella clamored to find the cause of her awakening. Rolling on her stomach, she grabbed the pager with her right hand and reached for the alarm clock with her left.

0530 AM.

Across the small greenly lit screen flashed "Bed 8. Temp 102.4 - 67735"

"Damn," she muttered, as she reached for the phone and dialed the number.

"This is Isabella. What's going on?" Bella inquired. "Okay, give her Tylenol 250 mg one time and draw a culture. Call me if the fever doesn't go away in an hour. Thanks."

As she hanged up the phone, Bella knew she wouldn't be able to go back to her previous relaxed state. "Might as well get up and get an early start on the day," she thought.

After a hot shower and blow-drying her thick mane, Bella put on a new set of scrubs under her white coat. A once-over look in the mirror reminded her of her missing eyeglasses, which she quickly obtained from the night stand before stepping out of the comforts of the on call room.

At 0545 in the morning, the unit was full of activity,as nurses were getting ready to go home and medical students, residents were busy examining patients.

"Good Morning Dr. Swan. How did you sleep last night?" Nikki, the charge nurse, asked as Bella was pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"It was very restful Nikki. How was your night? I didn't receive too many calls so it must have been good," Bella answered with a smile.

"Oh, it was good until about 0530 when we called you. Bed 8 ran a fever and the parents were frantic as usual. Betty's already given the Tylenol you ordered and sent the cultures to the lab so we'll see how she does," Nikki replied.

"Good. I'll talk to the parents during rounds this morning, and I want to know right away the results of the culture," Bella called out behind her back as she walked towards the physician's lounge to await the interns and medical students prior to rounds.

As it was too early for rounds to start, Bella, while sitting in the lounge, started to wonder whether her attempts at looking older were really successful. She would often catch her colleagues examining her features and discussing with each other how someone so young looking could possibly have become an attending physician. Most attending doctors in the hospital appeared to be in their mid-30's to late 60's. Bella's appearance was more college student than an experienced, tenured physician. Although she tried to appear older by wearing mature, sophisticated clothes and wearing a pair of black, square, thin, plastic rim eyeglasses, she could only, at best, pass for a very scholastic 28 year old. Whenever she was asked about her age, Bella, without having to reveal a number, would claim that she had always been a gifted child and that she had attended and graduated medical school at a very young age. She was often mistaken by her patient's families for an intern or a resident and has often had to work harder at convincing them to trust their children in her care.

Rounds went on as usual with the residents presenting their patients and Bella commenting and guiding them in their plan of care. Since she was the on call attending, Bella was free to leave the hospital after rounds. Not bothering to change into civilian attire, she grabbed her bags from the on call room and headed towards the ER doors.

While rummaging for her keys in her bag, she bumped head first into the chief medical director.

"Dr. Garrett! I'm so sorry I should have watched my step. How are you this morning?" Bella asked, embarrassed for her clumsiness.

"That's quite alright Isabella. Im sure you're ready to be out of this place after being on call. However, before you go, I'd like for you to meet the new ER attending who just joined us from Chicago."

"Umm, of course. I would love to meet him." Bella was curious as to who the coveted ER position had gone to and she had heard gossip from the nurses that the new physician was quite good looking.

Dr. Garrett led Bella to the ER physician's lounge, and as the chief opened the door, Bella's heart stopped. Standing in the middle of the room surrounded by other physicians, stood Dr. Carlisle Cullen, looking exactly the same as the last time she saw him more than 10 years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

"Carlisle, I'd like you to meet one of our most promising and enchanting attending!" Dr. Garrett exclaimed as he walked towards the new physician.

At the sound of his name, Dr. Cullen turned around and met Bella's gaze. The look on his face transformed from excitement to deep sadness and then to intense curiosity.

Bella did not move far from the entrance to the room as Dr. Garrett announced her name to Carlisle. Not wanting to seem impertinent, Bella slowly walked towards Carlisle and extended her hand.

"_I will not faint. I will not faint. I am FINE_," she willed to herself.

"Dr. Carlisle, pleased to meet you. I hope you'll enjoy working here. We are very happy to have you a part of our team," Bella managed to say in one breathless statement.

Carlisle could not believe his eyes.

Here was Bella Swan, the young, human girl he knew and loved as a daughter so many years ago. But she had changed, and was now a well-respected physician. She was now Dr. Isabella Swan, and was working in a hospital.

And the most mind-blowing fact of all to him was - Isabella Swan was a vampire.

"Nice to meet you Dr. Swan. I look forward to working with you," Carlisle stated and without leaving Bella's intense gaze, took her hand into a handshake.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you, Bella dear." Carlisle muttered knowing that she alone could hear him.

Upon hearing his soft words, Bella took a deep breath and released his hand.

"Very well, good day and welcome," she exclaimed hurriedly, turning around to nod at the chief and walked quickly out of the room.

"_You're fine! You are! It's alright. Just walk!"_

Bella hurried to her car and speedily drove out of the parking lot heading towards home.

Although she felt better leaving the hospital, the thoughts in her head were swirling.

_WHY NOW?! Why here?! _

_Maybe I should leave. _

_NO! I won't leave. I won't run anymore. _

_This is my place. This is where I belong! I've made a life here for myself and I am content. I am a successful doctor with a great practice, doing what I love to do._

Bella was still deep in her thoughts when she realized she had it made it home.

She sat in the driver's seat unable to move.

Looking out the windshield into the front porch of her house she realized how much she had accomplished all by herself.

Her home was small but comfortable. It was surrounded on all sides by trees with a sprawling forest behind it. She had picked the house specifically for its isolated location. Her neighbors were half a mile away on each side. Although most of the houses in the area were large estates, her home was a small structure built in a modern style. It was made of beautiful redwood and dark brick and it fit harmoniously with its surroundings. Although it was two stories high, it didn't appear to be a two-story house. The landscaping around the house added to its charm and helped to soften its modern lines. Bella was most proudest of the landscaping around the house as she had done it all herself. A small cherry blossom tree stood in the front yard and crawling vines crept around the porch posts. Around the house Bella had planted lavender, roses, mulberry bushes, and other colorful assorted plants. It was all Bella's and it was home.

_I'am not leaving. Period._

With her decision made, she grabbed her bag and headed towards the front door. As she was dropping her purse in the foyer, she caught a glimpse of her eyes in the mirror.

_Black. Ugh. I need to hunt. _

After changing into a black jumpsuit, Bella headed towards the backdoor and ran.


	3. Chapter 3

**CPOV**

After hours of meeting important hospital personnel and staff, Carlisle was finally heading home. The meeting with Bella in the morning, however, was still very fresh in his mind.

_How? When? Who?!_

_Oh dear God. Edward._

As he pulled up into the large driveway, he tried to sense where Edward and Esme were in the house. He didn't hear Edward's voice and assumed he was out. Esme, however, was in the kitchen painting the cabinets and humming a tune of an old classic song. Carlisle hurried to the kitchen trying not to raise any suspicion from his children.

"Hello, dear. How was your day?" Esme greeted as she kissed his cheek.

"It was good and interesting. I need to speak to you immediately darling, would you take a walk with me?" he answered in a whisper.

A quizzical look appeared on Esme's beautiful face as she dropped the paintbrush into the bucket and removed her painting smock. "Of course," she whispered back.

Carlisle offered his arm to his wife and led her into the forest behind their home. They walked quietly until they could no longer see the house in the distance.

"What's the matter Carlisle? You look as if you've just seen a ghost," Esme asked with a worried expression.

"No Esme, not a ghost. Bella," he answered in a tone dripping with sadness.

"What! Bella? Where? How? Here?" Esme almost shouted in surprise.

"Sshh! At the hospital where she works as an attending physician," he whispered again while looking around to see if anyone had heard his wife.

"How does she look Carlisle? She must be in her thirties by now. I hope she's happy." Esme exclaimed.

"Well, the thing is, she looks exactly as we left her. You see, my dear, it seems that Bella was turned." Carlisle stated the words slowly making sure that his wife followed his full meaning.

"You mean she's a vampire?! "

"Yes, she is." Carlisle replied as he slumped down on a boulder to sit.

Esme followed him down and was sitting on the ground when she looked up at him and said, "Does Edward know?"

With his hands on his face, Carlisle shook his head from side to side.

"Oh, dear."

"Don't worry my dear, he'll find out soon. I'm just afraid of what would happen when he does. I couldn't bear to see him leave us again," Carlisle muttered.

Esme was speechless and could only nod her head in agreement.

**BPOV**

Bella quickly returned home after her thirst was sated. She never grew to enjoy hunting and the lingering smell of animal blood nauseated and shamed her. Showering after a hunt had become a necessary ritual.

The rush of hot water on her tense muscles usually helped Bella to relax and clear her head, but today was different. Her mind would not settle. Images of the meeting with Carlisle kept replaying in her head.

_Get a hold of yourself, Bella! _

_It was a long time ago and everything's different now. You're different now._

Bella turned the hot water to its highest setting hoping that the heat would clear her head, but as expected, the temperature against her skin remained luke warm. Realizing that a simple shower won't help, Bella decided to turn to work.

Most of Bella's days at home were spent in her office reading and browsing medical journals online. She strived to always be up to date on all the current research in her field. Medicine had become her passion.

While Bella was reading over the current trends in Pediatric oncology, the telephone rang.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon, Dr. Swan. This is Dr. Jacobs calling from the hospital," said the voice on the line.

"Oh yes, Dr. Jacobs. Can I help you with something?," Bella responded.

"Well, I wanted to ask you for a favor. My father has gotten ill and I would like to visit him, but he's in another state and I'm scheduled to be on call tonight. I was wondering if you would be willing to take my call for me and I will take one of yours this following week?," the man asked.

"Of course. I don't mind at all. Hope your father feels better and I'll see you when you get back," Bella quickly responded without hesitation.

_Work is good. Work will clear my head. _

Bella hurried to the bedroom to fetch her on call bag which she kept packed with scrubs and the usual necessities. After dressing up in scrubs and grabbing her white coat, Bella checked her image in the mirror to make sure everything was in place before heading out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**EPOV**

Edward never meant to go back to medical school again. He had learned all the information more than once already, but, as a favor to Carlisle, he was again, for the third time, a surgical resident. His previous attempts had resulted in him quitting before residency due to the blood lust that still clouded his mind. However, after having fallen in love with a human, his resistance was now impenetrable.

It was only the first month of residency and Edward was already starting to get bored. His fellow interns were of the typical surgical stock. Mostly men, and most were overly preoccupied with status and physical looks. All of them were brilliant, of course, but the problem was they all knew it. Edward was aware that from the outside, he fit into the stereotypical idea of a surgical intern, but inside he was different. Although he detested the behavior of his classmates, he had no choice but to keep up appearances. As he waited in the physician's lounge for rounds to start, his fellow interns were engaged in their favorite subject, women.

"Did you see that nurse on the third floor? I'm pretty sure she was trying to flirt with me. Pretty easy on the eyes though," Calvin bragged.

"I don't know about that. Her eyes are a little cross eyed don't you think? Maybe she wasn't really looking at you, but more at me!" Stephen teased.

"Ha! I know for sure she was looking at me. She just can't resist," Calvin insisted.

"Don't you guys have other things to talk about than women? Anyways, haven't you heard about this one attending that everyone is talking about? Supposedly, she's a knock out," exclaimed James while sipping a cup of coffee.

"Yeah I heard about her. Well, when I find out what service she's in, I'm switching!" Stephen replied.

"Hey Cullen, you heard about that one yet? I'm sure you're having no problems with the ladies. They all love you. They get all glassy eyed whenever you come around. Lucky bastard," joked Calvin.

"No, I haven't," Edward answered with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

The truth is, Edward did hear about a particular beauty working in the hospital, but he wasn't interested enough to try to find her face.

"Good morning gentlemen! Shall we start?" Dr. Topper cheerfully asked as he led the group out of the lounge.

Edward's morning went on as usual, seeing patients, and doing consults. As an intern, his primary job did not involve the operating room but revolved only around patient care and charting. Most patients are often taken aback by his looks when they first meet him, but after realizing how competent and polite he is, they relax and feel more comfortable around him.

The nurses, on the other hand, were a different story. They seem to be very preoccupied with pleasing his every request. They were extra attentive and made every excuse to have him visit the bedside. Although it can become cumbersome, Edward knew that it wasn't entirely their fault. Every part of his being as a predator was made to draw in prey. His looks dazzled them and often times rendered them speechless.

"Dr. Cullen, do you have a girlfriend?" one of the nurses asked at the nurse station.

"Excuse me?" Edward was taken a back by the bluntness of the question. He wasn't used to women who were this brazen.

"Well, we were all just wondering if you were attached?" the other nurse asked shyly.

"Umm, well no," he answered uncomfortably.

_But my heart still is. _

"Really? How come? You seem to have no problems getting girls," the nurse called Jenny asked eagerly.

"Well, I'm just too busy and I haven't seen anything that catches my eye, I suppose," Edward replied trying to escape the barrage of questions.

_How come? Because I was stupid and left her. _

"You should come out with us sometime Dr. Cullen. We have a blast when we go out," Jenny exclaimed.

All Edward could do was smile and walk away. The thoughts that were playing in the women's heads were too much for Edward to handle.

"Why didn't you just ask him out Jenny? He's so incredibly good looking. If I had a man like that I would…."

_Ugh! Women._

"Edward, you coming with us? We have a consult on the pediatric floor. Dr. Topper all wants us to go with him," Calvin shouted as Edward was coming down the hall.

"I'm right behind you," Edward answered.

Dr. Topper led the interns to the pediatric floor and into one of the patient's rooms. He proceeded to discuss the case and implement a surgical plan for the patient.

"Since we'll be working closely with the pediatric oncology team on this case, I think it would be imperative that we meet with them," Dr. Topper stated.

Edward was looking through the patients chart while waiting with the other interns for the oncology team to arrive.

"Whoa! I think I may have died and gone to heaven!" Calvin whispered.

"I think I'm in love. Definitely switching services!" exclaimed Stephen.

"What are you two talking about?" Edward said, a little annoyed.

As he looked up from the chart towards the object of so much admiration, he couldn't believe his eyes.

_I must be dreaming. Or, my mind is playing tricks on me. This can't be possible. NO WAY!_

There, not more than 10 feet from him, stood the object of his desire, love, hopes, dreams of the past 10 years. There she was, Isabella, _his_ Bella standing, moving in front of him. But something was not right, she was…young…still. And suddenly, realization hit him like a giant wrecking ball.

_It can't be. NO!_

Excitement , apprehension, and anger filled him all at the same time.

_My Bella! My beautiful, blushing, human Bella, now….a VAMPIRE?!_

Every part of his being wanted to run and avenge her. To kill the monster who had turned her. But his curiosity was overwhelming. Bella, a vampire, working as a doctor.

_How? When? Why?_

Edward was rooted to the spot he was standing on. He wanted to escape from this cruel reality, but his legs would not move. His gaze followed her every move and when he couldn't bear it any longer, he whispered "Bella."


End file.
